Exo Cinemaster 2 Review – Can It Challenge the DJI Mini Drones?

Exo Cinemaster 2 Review Summary

The Exo Cinemaster 2 is a promising entry-level drone for photography enthusiasts, showcasing a compact design packed with impressive features. The device comes with an HD camera that boasts a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, capable of capturing 10MP images and recording 4K videos. Further enhancing its photographic capabilities, the camera is stabilised by a 3-axis gimbal and is supplemented with electronic image stabilisation.

The drone has a flight time reaching up to 28 minutes and a decent video transmission range of 800 meters. Moreover, it offers intelligent features such as ‘Follow Me,’ ‘Circle Me,’ and ‘Route Fly,’ enhancing the user experience and providing creative flexibility. Although the Exo Cinemaster 2 is a robust drone, this review will explore a few alternatives that come with better features.

Key Features

• 1/2.3-inch sensor 
• 10MP images
• 3-axis gimbal stabilisation with EIS
• Records videos in 4k at 30fps, 1080p at 30fps
• 50Mbps Video bitrate
• Intelligent flight modes include follow me and orbit mode
• GPS-assisted Automatic return to home
• 28 minutes of flight time
• 800m image transmission range

Welcome to this Exo Cinemaster 2 review; as a follower of my reviews, you might know that I’ve previously reviewed the Exo X7 Ranger and given my thoughts on the company as a whole. This time, we’re back with another Exo Drone offering, the Cinemaster 2; this is one of their advanced drones and is advertised as a drone for cinematography. As you will see from this in-depth Exo Cinemaster 2 review, I don’t entirely agree with that, as it is not a drone for professional cinematography; if it were, it would not be so cheap. However, it is still an excellent drone for hobbyists and those looking for a cheap drone for photography.

About Exo Drones

Established in 2020, Exo Drones, a United States drone company, made waves in the consumer and commercial drone industry. Their GPS camera drones, celebrated for affordability and quality, garnered both consumer praise and critical acclaim. By 2021, they were recognised as the fastest-expanding drone company in the USA.

In 2022, a pivotal year for the company, Exo Drones announced a strategic partnership with Hubsan, a renowned consumer drone engineering firm. This exclusive partnership permitted Exo Drones to market Hubsan drones solely in North America, drawing on Hubsan’s manufacturing prowess while upholding Exo Drones’ reputation for excellent customer service and stringent quality control.

Additionally, in August 2022, Exo Drones underwent a significant transition. The Miami-based tech startup OpenStore acquired the company, marking a new chapter in Exo Drones’ journey. You can read more about Exo Drones here.

Exo Cinemaster 2 Review – What In The Box?

• Drone
• Battery
• Hardshell case
• Spare props
• Charging cables
• Manual

Exo Cinemaster 2 Review – Design

The Exo Cinemaster 2 is a nice-looking drone, it has a foldable design that makes it portable and easy to store and travel with, and it comes with a hardshell carry case which is always a bonus. This isn’t a cheap case; it has a premium feel and looks very nice.

If you are familiar with the Parrot Anafi drone, the Exo Cinemaster 2 has a similar sort of design, which I like.

The drone comes with powerful brushless motors, which provide for a better flying experience, and it has a couple of nice LED lights on the end of each front arm. There is also a light on the bottom and at the rear of the drone.

The front and rear lights help users identify any issues that may arise, making it easier to troubleshoot and fix. However, it must be noted that these lights are not enough for flying this drone at night.

If you want to fly this or any other consumer drone at night, you must purchase one that can be seen from 3 miles.

The drone has an HD camera that is stabilised by a 3-axis gimbal; the gimbal has a protective plastic cover that can be a nuisance to take off; you must unfold the front arms before releasing the cover.

There are a couple of optical flow sensors on the bottom that will help with flight stabilisation, especially in areas where the GPS signal is weak.

The drone is quite big for a foldable drone; it measures 12x9x2 inches in its unfolded form and weighs 565 grams (with the battery).

As the drone weighs over 250 grams, you will be required to register the drone with the FAA, and if you decide to use it for commercial reasons or make money with it some other way, you will need to obtain a Part 107 certificate.

I only mention this because some people post drone video footage on YouTube and get advertising revenue. This will be classed as making money with the drone, although many may not realise it.

The remote controller looks similar to that of the X7 Ranger Plus; it has a pair of handles on the bottom and a smartphone holder on top.

It’s powered by an internal battery which lasts a few hours and has an LCD screen that displays vital flight data.

I used to like these small controllers, but ever since I got my hands on the DJI Mini 2 SE and the RC-N1 controller that came with it, I prefer bigger controllers; they feel more comfortable in my hands.

Exo Cinemaster 2 – Camera Quality

Now we come to the main feature of this drone, its HD camera.

Cameras are one of the reasons I enjoy flying drones; viewing the world from above is such an enjoyable experience, and it’s more fun when it’s viewed through an HD camera.

The camera on the Exo Cinemaster 2 features a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor that captures 12MP images and 4K video footage.

The camera has a 180° FOV and an f/2.8 aperture, is stabilised by a 3-axis gimbal, and has an electronic image stabilisation feature.

The images can only be captured in JPEG format, which is disappointing as Exo classes this as a drone for professional photography. Still, with some experience, you can capture some amazing images and even better video footage.

I said at the beginning that the drone is not for professional cinematography; while that is true, users can still record some amazing 4K video footage with the Exo Cinemaster 2.

Thanks to the drone’s gimbal and EIS feature, the video footage is smooth and with a little editing, you can produce some wonderful videos like the one below.

To capture videos in high definition, you will require a Class 10 micro SD card. The drone is equipped with a memory card slot that can accommodate up to a maximum capacity of 64GB.

Although I like the camera, and it produces good videos and images, it does not have photography modes like AEB, burst or panorama, available on similarly priced drones like the DJI Mini 2 or the Potensic Atom SE.

There are no intelligent video recordings modes like Quickshots or gesture control; these are especially useful for beginners who may find it hard to record good videos.

These flaws are not deal-breakers; this is still a good camera, but compared to its competitors, it falls short.

Exo Cinemaster 2 Flight Features

The drone comes with some advanced features; it has a GNSS module that can connect to GPS and GLONASS satellite systems, which helps provide better coverage and reduces the likelihood of losing the GPS signal in mid-flight.

The drone has an image transmission range of around 800 meters, which isn’t great for its price, especially when compared to something like the DJI Mini SE, which has a range of 4KM.

Still, 800 meters is more than enough as it will still be in your line of sight, which is a rule you must follow.

The drone is powered by a smart battery which provides around 28 minutes of flight time. Usually, people can manage around 25 minutes with no issues. This is a good flight time for its price, but again, it falls short of its competition, many of which provide at least 30 minutes.

To extend your flight time, it’s best to purchase an additional battery; you can buy the drone with two batteries, which works cheaper than buying one separately.

The drone has a level-5 wind resistance, meaning it can fly in winds of up to 20mph, although if you are a beginner, I advise you against flying in windy conditions. I am quite experienced, but I still avoid flying in any windy conditions, which is unfortunate because I live in the UK.

Intelligent Features

The Exo Cinemaster 2 is equipped with three intelligent flight modes that enhance the user experience and the drone’s functionality. The “Follow Me” mode enables the drone to automatically track and follow the controller, capturing smooth and stable footage.

In the “Circle Me” mode, the drone circles around a specified point of interest, offering panoramic views and dynamic video shots. The “Route Fly” mode allows users to predefine a flight path with set points that the drone will automatically follow.

Alongside these intelligent flight modes, the Cinemaster 2 also includes an “Automatic Return to Home” feature. This safety feature ensures the drone returns to its takeoff point when the battery is low, the signal is lost, or the return home command is activated.

Who Is The Exo Cinemaster 2 For?

The Cinemaster 2 is suitable for casual pilots or those looking for a relatively cheap drone for photography. It provides an enjoyable flying experience and impressive aerial photography capabilities. However, those who want a drone for photography and require more advanced camera features and longer ranges may want to explore other options.

Alternatives

Although the Cinemaster 2 is a robust drone, some users have expressed discontent with certain features when contrasted with DJI models. There are three fantastic alternatives that surpass the Exo Cinemaster 2 in terms of quality, and they are similarly priced.

DJI Mini 2: The best drone in this price range, it has a 4K camera, Quickshots, 30 minutes of flight time and a 10km transmission range.

DJI Mini SE: A relatively cheap drone that can record 2.7K videos at 30fps, captures 12MP images, has 4 Quickshots and a transmission range of 4km.

Potensic Atom SE: This is a much cheaper drone than the Cinemaster 2; it comes with s superior camera that can record 4K videos at 30fps, capture 13MP images in JPEG and RAW, has 31 minutes of flight time and a 4km transmission range.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Exo Cinemaster 2 is a good drone; it has some advanced features, is easy to operate and fly’s well. Its flight performance is good, and the Exo Cinemaster 2 App is decent and easy to use. However, it is a little overpriced, and as I have noted, there are better options at a similar price or even cheaper.